Natural
by Falcon Strife
Summary: -Oneshot- Ryu has been having fainting spells, but nobody can convince him to talk to Faust about it. When Hao crosses the line of teasing, Tamao is surprised by a humanity she discovers in Ryu.Fluff and a touch of angst.


**Title**: Natural  
**Rating**: T**  
Genre**: Drama, Romance**  
Summary**: Ryu has been having fainting spells, but nobody can convince him to talk to Faust about it. When Hao crosses the line of teasing, Tamao is surprised by a humanity she discovers in Ryu. Fluff and a touch of angst. Oneshot**  
Disclaimer**: Shaman King © Hiroyuki Takei**  
Warning**: This gets into topics that may or may not be disturbing. Reader's discretion is strongly advised.

* * *

"All I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt to be sure," Yoh said with a frustrated frown.

"Big Brother, I feel absolutely fine," Ryu sighed while dicing an onion. He looked back with a smile. "I'm sure it's just after-affects from pseudo death."

Manta frowned slightly. "That was over a month ago, Ryu-san. What if you pass out while you're on your motorcycle? You could get yourself and others hurt pretty bad."

The eldest teen groaned. He knew fainting wasn't normal or safe, and he didn't need his friends reminding him of that every time he so much as sneezed. Although he knew why he had been fainting, he didn't dare tell his friends. Afterall, they would only push until they got an answer from him, and he couldn't very well lie to the people who had turned him from a low-life punk into a young man with a decent future. He smirked some, teasing himself silently for thinking of himself as a 'young man', when he was barely an adult.

"Ryu, please just talk to Faust," Yoh sighed. "He's our friend, you know. It's not like you have to trust a total stranger. I'm sure he could do some blood work and..."

"Screw that," Ryu snapped, but he didn't look back. "Christ, he may be a good doctor, but you never know. He is a bit..." He trailed off, guilt already building for saying something rotten about a friend. He groaned and then closed his eyes. "Anyway, I feel absolutely fine. Miss Anna hasn't given me a break since I finished training. I'm sure my mind's just trying to catch up with my body." He looked up quietly to the window, and then smiled when he spotted snow beginning to fall. "Hmm... Wonder if we'll get enough for a snowball fight?"

Yoh and Manta looked quietly at the older teen, and then sighed while letting their heads droop. "Ryu-san, you shouldn't change the subject. It's rude," Manta said with a small shake of his head, and then looked up to Yoh. "I'm gonna go back to my place and get some warmer clothes, Yoh-kun. Wanna come?"

Yoh looked quietly to their older friend, and then glanced to Manta with a small smile. "I guess."

Ryu glanced back as his friends left the room, and then he sighed while taking the diced onion and placing it into a pan to saute while the chicken finished cooking. When he turned around, he let out a started yelp finding Faust standing inches from him, wearing one of his more eerie smiles. "Wh-what are you doing?" the teen demanded angrily, his eye twitching slightly.

"Well, I overheard Yoh-kun and Manta in the hall," Faust replied cheerfully. "They were talking about you, and mentioned that you were fainting."

Ryu stared at Faust for a moment, and then crossed his arms while looking away with a stubborn pout. "You have no right listening in on their conversations. Aside from that, I'm fine."

"What they mentioned didn't sound fine, Ryu-kun," Faust replied while stepping back, allowing the teen a more comfortable amount of personal space. "It sounded epileptic."

"Api-what now?" Ryu asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Epileptic," the doctor replied. "In any case, I thought maybe we could sit down and have a little talk. After all, it's flu-shot season, and with your birthday coming up, it seems only appropriate that we set up your yearly check-up."

Ryu's eye twitched as he began walking towards the fridge, trying to ignore the cool sweat he was breaking into. "I don't need a check-up. I'm in perfect condition," he stated firmly, and then froze when the doctor's hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"How long has it been since you last saw a doctor, Ryu-san?" Faust asked gently, his smile never fading.

"Um..." He thought nervously for a moment, and then smiled dumbly. "About ten seconds ago."

"That's a cute comeback, Ryu-kun, but it's a terrible evasion," the doctor stated cheerfully. "Now when did you last see a doctor?"

He pouted for a moment, and then rolled his eyes. "Just after I met Big Brother, I suppose."

"And you are about to turn nineteen, right?"

"... I guess."

"So you haven't had a check-up in a couple of years, now have you?" Faust asked, his smile more playful than his tone was. "Did you know that many men don't see a doctor regularly?"

"So?" the teen demanded. "I'm just a kid, right?"

"Exactly," Faust replied firmly, his smile disappearing. "Enough games, Ryu-kun. You should see a doctor immediately if you're passing out. It could be any number of things that's giving you problems; none of them good."

"I won't say it again. I am fine!" Ryu shouted while turning around, and then froze when he heard a startled squeak. He and Faust looked over with stunned expressions and found Tamao had been entering the kitchen. "Um... Sorry, Tamao..." Ryu apologized with a nervous expression, and then glared at Faust. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with me, now just drop it."

The blonde sighed while shaking his head, and then walked towards the kitchen door. "I'm going to schedule your for a check-up next Thursday, Ryu-kun. Don't make me ask for Miss Anna's assistance."

Ryu watched contemptuously as the doctor left, and then rolled his eyes. "Don't make me ask for Miss Anna's assistance," he muttered while rolling his eyes, and then pouted while sitting down at the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

Tamao glanced towards the older shaman nervously, and then smiled weakly. "R-Ryu-san... They just worry. It won't be so terrible, you know."

"If I'm sick, I'll see a doctor. I'm just fine," he pouted.

Tamao looked away unsurely while washing her hands, and then began to chop the vegetables that Ryu had taken out earlier. "Ryu-san, all he'll do is ask you some questions, check your blood pressure, heart beat and breathing, and draw a little bit of blood..."

"I know all of that," he replied harshly, and then took a deep breath while standing up to stretch. "I don't need a reminder, Tamao," he said much more gently, and then began preparing the gravy for the stew they now worked on together.

The girl sighed softly while glancing up to him, and then frowned slightly. "Um... It does seem kind of important that you talk to somebody about the fainting..." She looked down embarrassedly. "I mean, I know I'm not a doctor, but still... The other day when we were looking for that information that Keiko-sama asked for... I'd never seen you so pale, Ryu-san. And... Well..." She winced, thinking about the incident that had occurred a week before.

They had been alone in the Onsen -a rare occasion- and decided to take advantage of that time to do some research for Keiko. After all, what were the chances Hao or Horo would have let him live down the fact that he was looking at sites about women's 'monthly friend'? And trying to explain it to Yoh or Manta would have just been plain embarrassing. If Faust found out, it would have meant another embarrassing birds-and-bees lecture. Ren and Anna were probably the only ones who wouldn't have made comments or judgements. However, he still wasn't about to be named gynaecologist of the year, and ended up needing Tamao's help. Somehow they managed to push their discomforts aside and used terms such as, 'you know', and 'yada-yada', when they didn't feel like getting into specifics about embarrassing things.

The setup seemed to work for a short while, but once they started finding appropriate information, Tamao noticed that the teen was beginning to tense. Less than a minute after tensing, he started growing pale and trembling lightly. His breathing grew erratic, and finally he complained that he was dizzy and needed some air, but as he began walking towards the window he collapsed. Not knowing what to do, she spent the next three minutes panicking and trying to wake him up. To her relief, he awoke after about five minutes, and aside from a cramped leg and a mild dizzy spell, he seemed to be okay again. In the end he told her that it had happened before, and that he would be fine.

Of course he specifically told her not to mention it to anybody, and she respected that request, but it didn't keep her from asking their friends if he had had any trouble lately. According to Yoh and Manta, he had gone through a somewhat similar event at the theater, though it seemed it hadn't been quite as violent, and he had been seated, so they didn't notice at first what was happening. Ren also mentioned Ryu had grown briefly ill while visiting him and Jun, though it passed quickly. And above all, she and Yoh noticed he was frequently avoiding Faust.

"Ryu-san..." she said quietly, and then looked up with an almost sad expression. "Ryu-san... are you... ill?"

"Hmm?" He glanced to her curiously, and then smiled. "What?"

"Well... You don't like to be around Faust, much," she said quietly while looking down. "You... You said it happens quite a bit... Is it because you're sick?"

Ryu stared at her oddly for a moment, and then smiled. "Tamao... I'm okay. You afraid I'm going to trust our baby in the hands of Hao and Big Brother?" he laughed, knowing full well that Tamao loved the kitchen as much as he did.

"N-No," she replied softly, and then looked up with sad eyes. "I'm... I'm worried that you'll just... just..."

Ryu stared quietly at her for a moment, and then his expression softened. "Tamao..." He walked over and hugged her lightly. A surprised look formed when she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, and then he looked down at her worriedly. "Tamao... Don't worry so much. I'm not going to go away. I'm not sick."

"You looked awful sick before," she whimpered, shaking lightly. "I... I thought you might die before... And Yoh-sama and the others said you looked really sick at times... And... Manta-sama said that... that... He said if it's serious... you really cold die."

The brunette stared down with a stunned expression, and then smiled sadly while tilting her head up. "I'm sorry... You guys should learn to listen to me, y'know? I'm not sick. I'm not ready to be a gardener, anyway."

She looked up confusedly for a moment, and then bit her lip when she realized it was a joke about the phrase, 'pushing up daisies'. After a minute a small smile formed. "R-Ryu..."

"How sweet," Hao's voice mocked. Once he had their attention, he grinned while leaning against the doorframe. "You know, the big lug's right, Tamao. You should listen to him more and stop worrying. After all, there's always much more powerful men to focus on."

"Like you, I assume?" Ryu asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"R-Ryu-san is my friend. Of course I'm worried about him," Tamao stuttered while looking at the pyromaniac nervously.

"Uh huh. _Friend_, huh? You're holding onto him pretty damn tight," he sneered while taking a lazy seat at the kitchen table.

"Hmm?" Tamao looked back to Ryu curiously, and then turned bright red. "S-Sorry!" she cried while leaping back, and then made an embarrassed pout while looking at the floor. "H-Hao-sama... Don't be so mean..."

"Yeah. Don't be so mean," Ryu agreed with a childish frown. He had rather liked being able to hold Tamao without receiving an attack from Ponchi or Conchi, and as far as he was concerned, the little hellion had ruined a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Mm hmm," Hao replied thoughtfully, but said nothing as the two returned to preparing dinner, Tamao beginning to make a cake, and Ryu getting dough ready for dinner biscuits. He too had noticed Ryu's odd behavior, and for a while he had been genuinely worried. After all, this was the only guy who knew how to satisfy his delicate palate, and in no lifetime, past or present, was he about to lose the only chef who knew how he liked his rice. However, he had been with Ren and Ryu during the visit when he fell ill, and after thinking about it, he began to develop his own theory on the shaman's condition. "Ryu, how come you won't talk to Faust?"

Ryu flinched, and then looked back irritably at the boy. "Not you too."

"I'm just asking," Hao replied innocently. "I mean, you and Faust seemed to get along okay, but lately you seem... edgy. Like you don't wanna be around him."

"Yes, well what seems like one thing to you tends to be the complete opposite for others," Ryu replied cooly.

"Mm hmm..." Hao replied with a smirk, and then pulled out a notebook from under his poncho and opened it while clearing his throat. "Ryu, did you know that a leading cause of pain in women is called endometriosis?"

Ryu quirked an eyebrow, and then shook his head. "Is that so? And why, pray tell, would you happen to know this?"

"I found it in the history pages on your computer," he replied with a smirk. "I guess I don't have to explain what happens if it gets bad. After all, who wants to think about lumps full of blood when you're trying to cook?"

Tamao flinched lightly, and then looked to Ryu. He was biting his lip while washing his hands fiercely, and his expression was a lot more violent than the girl could have ever expected from him. "Hao-sama, I'm trying to cook," she whimpered, feeling a bit nauseous.

"Sorry, hun. It's true, though. It's these really gross lumps that grow outside the..."

"I don't need to know that!" Ryu snapped while looking back. "Why don't you go tell Faust about your wonderful discoveries!"

"R-Ryu..." Tamao squeaked, and then looked confusedly at him. He seemed pale now, and aside from the obvious anger, his eyes looked strange. "R-Ryu-san, are you alright?"

"I'm just fine!" he snapped angrily while turning away, and then turned the hot water on.

"Hmm... I guess I shouldn't be scaring Tamao," Hao sighed thoughtfully, and then smiled. "Hey, do you know how many older guys develope prostate cancer?"

"Hmm? What's that?" Tamao asked confusedly, and then squeaked when Ryu whipped a spoon at Hao's head.

"Why don't you shove a sock in it, Hao?" he snapped angrily, and then groaned while leaning on the counter. "Cripes..."

Hao rubbed his forehead where the spoon had hit him, and then pouted. "How dare you whip a dirty spoon at me?" he demanded angrily, and then looked down with a frustrated growl. "You know what's gotta be painful? When somebody injects air bubbles into your blood stream. Even worse, though, imagine what women must go through with childbirth. I mean, they just ram that huge-ass needle into their spinal cord."

Tamao whimpered fiercely as the boy went on with gruesome descriptions of how needles could be used, and then glanced up curiously when she heard a strange sound from Ryu.

"Hao, I swear to Great Spirit," the older teen growled. "Get out of here or else."

Hao glanced up for a moment, and with a satisfied nod he stood and left the kitchen, snickering.

"R-Ryu-san... You don't look well," Tamao whimpered, watching as he breathed heavily, and then inched over and laid a hand on his arm. "Y-You look like before..."

Ryu winced at her words, and then forced a smile while looking to her. "Just a little sick... Can you handle things here if I go lay down for a minute?"

She nodded slowly as he walked towards the door, and then looked down sadly as he left the room. "R-Ryu-san..."

"We're home," Yoh announced happily while coming in through the kitchen door.

"Huh? Tamao-chan, are you alright?" Manta asked worriedly, immediately spotting the girl's sad expression.

"I... I'm fine..." she replied shakily.

"Oh, Tamao! Not you too," Yoh cried while running over to her, dropping the gym bag he had been carrying on top of Manta. "Tamao, what's wrong? Should I get Faust?"

"No..." she said quietly, and then looked to Yoh with a determined expression. "Stay here and make sure the stew doesn't burn!" she cried, and then quickly ran out of the kitchen.

"Tamao..." Yoh said with a stunned expression, and then looked back when he heard Manta muttering something about not allowing him to help pack again. "Manta, what're you doing under there, silly?" he asked with a grin when he found his friend trapped under the bag.

Ryu curled up under the duvet that covered his futon and groaned while holding his head. By now his head felt like it was spinning off to another universe, and everything around him looked as though it had been doubled and was now trapped in a paint-mixer gone mad. He rolled onto his back, grasping his head more tightly, and then let out a small sigh of relief when he everything beginning to return to normal. He opened his eyes part way, curious when he heard somebody call him from far off, and then felt a sick knot tie in his stomach when he saw Faust loom over him, a syringe in his hand. He heard something that must have been, "Hold him still," because only seconds later somebody leaned over him and held him in an embrace that weighed down his chest and arms. He was fairly certain he heard himself yell to be let go, but his eyes merely shut when he felt a sharp jab in his arm.

Then there was just a strange silence. He still felt dizzy and utterly confused, but the moment of silence was somehow comforting. And as suddenly as it struck, it disappeared. He felt everything shaking hard again, and the black background was slowly fading into a blurry picture. Somebody was above him, and aside from movement he felt completely numb. He though he mumbled questions like, "Where am I," and, "What happened," but he couldn't be sure. His legs and right arm felt as though the muscles had been tied into knots, and he definitely heard himself say, "Ow," but the sharp cramps soon faded to a dull throbbing.

He blinked several times, finally regaining some of his sight, only to stare up distantly at Tamao, who was leaned over him with a strange expression. The dizziness soon grew to a thick haze, and finally the shaking seemed to stop. "Ta...mao?" he mumbled sleepily, and then fell still as she leaned and wiped at his eyes.

"Hey, there," she said with a weak smile, tears running down her face. "You... You really scared me, Ryu-san."

"Hmm? What're you talking about?" he replied.

"Ryu... Don't you remember?"

He remained quiet for a moment, and then shook his head. "Well... Sun's out... Guess I had a bad dream last night," he muttered. "Why're you sad?"

She smiled weakly, remembering the last time she had seen him faint. It had taken him a while to remember the day's events, and with that in mind, she decided he would remember soon enough. She brushed her hand lightly against his forehead, and then sighed. "You scared me, Ryu-san," she repeated, tears forming and running down her face again, and then brushed the new tears that were escaping Ryu. "Faust said you had a panic attack. He gave you some medicine to calm you down."

"He what?" Ryu muttered quickly, and then sat up, only to collapse when another dizzy spell punished the sudden movement. "Who the hell does he think he is?" he muttered. "I could have been allergic to the stuff. Cripes. Don't let him back in."

Tamao smiled softly. "Hao-sama said he was sorry."

"Whatever," Ryu mumbled softly, his eyes closed and his body feeling drained of its last ounce of energy.

"Ryu-san... Are you... afraid of doctors and stuff?"

The older teen remained silent, and then gave a half-nod when he was finally able to understand what she had asked. "How'd you figure?"

"Hao-sama figured it out," she replied with a small smile. "He talked to the others. Manta-sama told him you passed out at the theater during a gross scene. Jun was watching a show about doctors when you visited her and Ren. You got upset when he asked you those questions, and when you were still out of it, he asked if I had seen you like this before..."

"Brat..." Ryu mumbled softly.

She looked at him quietly, and then began to run her hand through his hair. "You're so strange... Ryu-san..."

"Thanks," he muttered with a far-off smile.

"It's a nice strange."

He opened his eyes part way, and then reached up slowly to place a hand on her face. "Never really noticed..." he mumbled quietly.

"Hmm?" She looked at him with a confused expression, and then turned bright red. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Nice... You're not like... an angel or something... Better..." he mumbled. "You're very... natural... Yeah..."

Her face beet red, she watched as Ryu fell asleep. "Ryu-san..." She smiled again, and then let out a small sigh. "You're so sensitive..." she murmured while brushing her hand through his hair. "So human..." She hesitated for a moment, and then leaned down and placed a tiny kiss on his forehead. "You're very natural too, Ryu-san," she whispered, and then sat up with a bright blush, surprised that she had had the courage to kiss him.

"Aww!"

The girl's eyes widened when she heard Yoh's voice break the silence, and then whipped her attention towards the door, where Horo, Yoh and Manta were standing. Yoh and Manta shared a very happy, dreamy-like expression, but Horo looked like he was about to split from trying not to laugh.

"Tamao-chan... That was so sweet," Manta chirped, looking like a teenager who had a little too much sake and was about to spend some quality time with a boyfriend. Yoh shared that same, drunken look, suggesting that maybe he and his friend were a little too hooked on romance stories lately.

"Man, wait'll Ryu's friends see what a wimp he is!" Horo cried with one of his impish giggles.

"Huh? Tamao?" Yoh asked curiously, coming out of his drunken-state when he realized she was as red as a fire engine.

Ryu was the only one in Funbari Onsen who didn't hear Tamao's embarrassed shriek.

* * *

**A/n**: I've been wanting to write this for a while, but was having trouble since I have trouble facing medical stuff. At last it's written! Couldn't help adding the fluff at the end, but these two deserve more attention. Seriously. It **is** a semi-canon pairing. That out of the way, I'd really appreciate thoughts and constructive criticism. Review, please. 


End file.
